Author - The Durango Herald

Change requires becoming unreasonable

Our society has an unhealthy infatuation with the image of the reasonable man. You know the one I’m talking about. Well-coiffed, prudent, good with money – he exudes an air of pat...

DATE: May 28, 2014 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

We can’t allow government to ignore our voices

Stop the press! Something wild just happened. I, Dan Olson, found common cause with the tea party. Coming from your local environmental group, this declaration deserve...

DATE: May 14, 2014 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

When it comes to energy, which camp are you in?

Good news! (Kind of). Once again, election season is upon us. No, no – not the 2014 midterms. I’m talking about the annual La Plata Electric Association Board of Directors election. ...

DATE: Apr 30, 2014 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Help us fight these menacing energy monsters

Have you ever seen a monster? I have. A few weeks ago. He was an odd monster. He didn’t hide in the dark spots fancied by most monster-types. No, this monster stood out in the ope...

DATE: Apr 16, 2014 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

We deserve an industry that’s a good neighbor

What do you get when you put an industry insider, public-relations consultant and lobbyist in an office suite with a bag of money? A. The start of a government regulatory office. ...

DATE: Apr 2, 2014 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Green business will not save you or the climate

The promise of green business is a lie. As a person who pursued sustainable business strategies at the country’s largest organizations for close to 14 years, this statement is a...

DATE: Mar 19, 2014 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Natural gas: Its footprint is larger than you think

In 2011, researchers from Cornell University caused an uproar when they published a study that found methane emissions from shale natural-gas development and use had a bigger greenhouse gas ...

DATE: Feb 26, 2014 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Criticism of fracking, health study misses mark

Tuesday’s editorial in The Durango Herald, “Fracking flap,” correctly pointed out the common confusion with interpreting scientific studies by the lay public. Much of the rest of the editori...

DATE: Feb 12, 2014 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Gas, oil industry should be treated like any other

There is a raging debate in Colorado, and nationally, about fracking. Part of the debate is semantic, centered around different ways in which the term fracking is used. ...

DATE: Jan 29, 2014 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Wilderness Act turns 50 – it’s time to celebrate

You don’t miss your water till the well runs dry. It is easy to take things for granted, even really important things: our family, our jobs, the beautiful area in which we live,...

DATE: Jan 15, 2014 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

A harsh, costly legacy left by dirty energy

When most people think of reasons to oppose nuclear energy, they think of the risk of catastrophic failure at the power plant and the lack of any long-term solution for the spent, highly rad...

DATE: Dec 18, 2013 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Solar gardens can make local power a reality

La Plata Electric Association is taking applications from those interested in developing up to 2 megawatts of local community solar gardens. It is a great step forward. A communit...

DATE: Dec 4, 2013 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green